retiring to Los Angeles. Before his death in 1984, he shot over 2,500 rolls of film that were never developed. Although Gary only published two out of four successful books, he composed a body of work that captured the mood of the times, and allowed us see life though his unique eyes. Through his accomplishment and failures, Winogrand’s world of energy, challenge, loneliness, humor, and unfamiliar beauty became apparent. One of Winogrand’s photographs that portrays many puzzling questions is his 1964, World’s Fair. This image consists of eight people, six women and two men sitting on a bench during the fair. The picture contains extremely compelling lines, facial expressions, gestures, and cultural and social statements. The person’s gestures greatly contribute to the flow of the existing lines. Visually tracing the picture, one may begin at the elbow of a woman who has it positioned toward the camera, and rests her hand beneath her head. This elbow brings the eye sharply down toward the street curb. The curb is photographed at an angle that appears to be ascending to the left. Following this curb up to the end, the eye is brought to a solid looking African American man. Following down the bench, is a row of fashionably dressed women who seem to be very flagged. At the end of the bench sits a conservatively dress man reading his newspaper. World’s Fair consists of many horizontal lines including the curb, the seat of the bench, the back of the bench, the small plants along the grass, and a long pathway in the distance. Each of these horizontal lines is balanced out by the strong presence of the vertical figures along the bench. Winogrand’s photograph displays an accurate portrayal of the culture of the 60’s. It is quite obvious what style of clothing was popular among the women, while the men’s ensembles could have been from any decade. From all of the women, it is appare...
